As I work on my manuscripts, I'm graced with a mini "Nutcracker" ballet in the living room as my 11-year-old daughter practices dance steps. Unfortunately, since we registered at this new ballet studio late in the Fall, she's not in this year's performance, but the music plays in her head daily. I asked her to draw some Christmasy pictures for my blog, and she chose the Sugar Plum Fairy. Anna actually drew these using step-by-step directions at Dragoart. No tracing involved!

I'm looking forward to a two week winter vacation from homeschool so I can concentrate on writing. When I return to this blog in January, I'll tell you about my new research for a picture book biography. I'm trying to be more "techy" and am using the free program Evernote. I'll share my experience next time. Right now I'm heavily into diaries from the late 1800s! And the ironic thing is that I hated history in school!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year with your family and friends! I look forward to great writing achievements in 2014 for all of you!

May you know the true meaning of Christmas and God's love for the world!~Tina[drawn by my daughter]

I've had the privilege of getting to know Carrie Finison this year by being in an online picture book critique group for 12x12. I was thrilled when Carrie recently landed an agent. Carrie is an excellent writer and writes a lot of great rhyming manuscripts and poetry from her home in Massachusetts. Welcome, Carrie!

How did you get started in writing?I always liked to write and took many writing classes, both in high school and as an English major in college. After I graduated, I worked in educational publishing, first at a print-based publisher, and then at a software publisher. Writing and editing were regular parts of my job, but still I never thought of myself as a "writer."

When my son was born, I left work to be home with him. We had a subscription to Babybug magazine, and after reading each issue 20 or more times, I thought I could try to write some poems like the ones they publish for very young kids. So that's where I started.

Have you taken any writing classes that have helped you in your picture book writing?Yes, after working sporadically on short pieces for magazines like Babybug and High Five, I found out about a picture book writing class that was being offered at the arts education center in town. By that time, with two kids, I had been reading picture books every day for several years and I thought I could try to write one (see a pattern?). I took that class and wrote my first picture book story. I spent a LOT of time reworking that one story. I took it to a conference where I got positive feedback from an editor, but when she asked what else I was working on, I didn't have much to say.

So at that point, the light dawned - I needed to write more than one story if I wanted to be a writer! I signed up for 12x12 in 2012 and wrote a story each month. That same spring I also took Anastasia Suen's online picture book course which gave me some great insights into plot structures for picture books.

How did you know which agents to submit to?There are so many agents out there, but it's hard to get one as a picture book writer only (not an author-illustrator). While I do want to expand into chapter books and middle grade at some point, when I started querying all I had ready were picture books. So that narrowed the field considerably. Also, some of my stories are written in rhyme, so I wanted an agent who liked rhyme and had a good sense for it. I tried to pay attention to which agents repped authors who write in rhyme. But I didn't discount other agents, unless I found an interview where they were categorically against rhyme.

How did you nab an agent?I had decided to lead with a non-rhyming story, just to avoid any knee-jerk 'no rhyme' reaction from agents. I had a story making the rounds, and I got some positive feedback on it but no offers. One agent literally said, "This story is going to get you an agent…but unfortunately not me." I was getting ready for a round of submissions to about 5 more agents from my list before going on vacation. A friend posted Jennifer Starkman's name to a Facebook group for writers focused on submission (SubItClub). I researched her a bit, and she seemed like a good match for me and my writing, so I added her to my batch and sent off my submission.

In my cover letter, I included a brief description of some of the other manuscripts I had available. I heard back from Jennifer quickly. She said she was on the fence about the story I submitted, but asked to see the other stories I had mentioned. At that point, vacations for both of us interrupted the whole process. Maybe three weeks later I heard from her again. She expressed interest in two of the stories, but requested some revisions. These were fairly minor, but I thought her suggestions were good and they made me feel we were on the same wavelength with regard to editing. I addressed her concerns and also took the opportunity to scrub the stories one last time. She liked the changes I made and at that point said she would like to represent me.

Any advice to writers who are looking for an agent?First of all, write the best story you can, and get some external validation that it's good (and not from anyone related to you!).

Second, once you have written one good story - write another one! I caught my agent's interest with the first story I sent, but if I hadn't had any others to back it up, I might not have gotten an offer from her. The general rule is 2-3 additional picture book manuscripts, beyond the one you are submitting.

And, while you're doing all that writing, take the time to connect with other writers! You'll hear tidbits about agents and agencies, including who's looking for new clients. There are many ways to connect. Facebook groups like the 12x12 group, PiBoIdMo, SubItClub, and WOW (for nonfiction) are great. I'm also a member of Verla Kay's Blueboards, and SCBWI. WriteOnCon is a great resource, too, especially if you can't attend an SCBWI conference in person. I'm not on Twitter much, but I know from others that it's a good way to find out what particular agents are seeking, and you can join in on pitch parties.

How do you know when your manuscript is ready to submit?I rely on feedback from my critique groups and also my own feeling that I've done the most I can do with the story - further changes are making it different but not necessarily better. And - it's hard, but I try to avoid submitting too early. It helps to put things away for several weeks or months and come back with fresh eyes. That gives me more confidence that something is ready to submit.

Also, I think the strongest stories for submission have a very strong and unique idea behind them. It's not just the good writing, but the idea that sells the manuscript. Before I submit, and sometimes even before I write, I try to get a sense of how my story stands out from others with the same topic or theme.

Good luck with submitting everyone! And thank you, Tina, for having me on your blog.

Welcome to Stacy McAnulty! She's no stranger as she is featured in my blog hop from October 7 here. I'm honored to be a part of her blog tour for her humorous debut picture book, Dear Santasaurus. I asked Stacy to share how she landed her first book contract WITHOUT an agent at the time. (note: she now has an agent)

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”-Lucius Annaeus SenecaThis quote describes my writing life, and (probably) the writing life of many authors. Writers need to plug away and continue to create, all while hoping an opportunity will be available.My first picture book, DEAR SANTASAURUS (Boyds Mills Press, 2013) was born at a writing retreat. I had an early draft sitting in front of me while an editor was addressing our group of 40 writers. My interest in her presentation was waning when she said something like, “I don’t want to see another dinosaur book come across my desk.”And, of course, I thought the opposite. Dinosaurs! That’s brilliant. It was exactly what my book needed. Instead of a manuscript featuring a sometimes-naughty little boy, I needed a mischievous dinosaur. I probably should have thought of dinosaurs on my own, considering I had a three-year-old son who could pronounce Parasaurolophus without hesitation.So I reworked my manuscript to star a fun-loving Spinosaurus. (Anyone can pronounce Spinosaurus.) I rewrote and rewrote. I shared with my critique partner. I read it to my children, husbands, dogs. Then fast forward six months, I attended a Highlights Foundation Workshop at Chautauqua. I was assigned a faculty member to work with, and she saw potential in my fifteen-hundred word dinosaur Christmas book.

I wish I could say she acquired it right there on the spot. Nope! We went through four revisions over two months before Boyds Mills Press bought the book. And even then, the editor gave me a four page editorial letter. We still had work to do.I’m so thankful for my lucky break at Chautauqua. To have the opportunity to work with an editor isn’t guaranteed at any workshop or conference (at least that I know of). But I was prepared with a manuscript that I loved and had worked over.I wish all my fellow writers a lucky break. In the meantime, I hope they are preparing by writing and rewriting.

And now for the daily cookie (a family favorite)…Toll House Chocolate ChipI make these often, and they never stick around long.(visit http://stacymcanulty.blogspot.com/ for the recipe)

About Stacy:Stacy lives in North Carolina with her three children, two dogs, and one husband. (She has zero dinosaurs.) DEAR SANTASAURUS (Boyd Mills Press, 2013) is her first picture book. For more information on Stacy, please visit www.stacymcanulty.com

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Stacy! Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies are my favorite, too and will go perfectly with your book!